Championship promotion hopefuls Sheffield United have been chasing Leonard since last summer, after seeing multiple bids rejected by Southend during the last transfer window.

United have continued to maintain an interest in Leonard, with Blades boss Chris Wilder a big fan of the 25-year-old.

Wilder has stepped up his interest in Leonard as he looks for midfield reinforcements after losing Paul Coutts for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury in the win against Burton in November.

Southend captain Leonard is out of contract at the end of the season but the Shrimpers were reluctant to sell their prize asset in the January transfer window.

However, they have now decided to cash-in on Leonard rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer and they have accepted United's offer for the all-action midfielder.

Pete O'Rourke

A sports journalist for nearly 20 years after graduating from the University of Sheffield with a degree in journalism. He has worked as a reporter for Press Association Sport, PlanetFootball.com and skysports.com. He is now a freelance journalist, working for ESPN among other clients. He has a particular expertise in breaking transfer news from all leagues across Europe and exclusive interviews.